EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS
PAGE. The politicization of
inputs has continued to happen
for a long time and ZPP has
continued to keep the issue
alive, and has always expressed
concern over how Zanu PF
officials and activists hijack the
process which should be
conducted by government
employees and other non
partisan stakeholders.
Recently, the politicization of
Pfumvudza inputs was a
subject of discussion in
Parliament.
Norton MP Temba Mliswa
claimed the Grain Marketing
Board (GMB) officers, charged
with the responsibility to stock
and distribute the inputs, were
living in fear of releasing the
agriculture inputs after being
ordered by Zanu PF members to
issue the inputs to farmers
without the ruling party
officials’ consent.
“Zanu PF officials are now
giving instructions to GMB
officers not to release inputs.
Inputs are being politicised,”
Mliswa said.
In response, Justice and
Parliamentary Affairs Minister
Ziyambi Ziyambi, who is also
the leader of Government
Business in Parliament, said
“No Zanu PF officials should be
involved in the distribution of
inputs. There is no go-between
in this scheme.”
His statements are in stark
contrast to the situation on the
ground, where ZPP has
recorded 24 cases of
discrimination of opposition
supporters during the
distribution of Pfumvudza
inputs countrywide.
Ironically, President
Mnangagwa officially launched
the Pfumvudza programme in
Gokwe, at a Zanu PF party
event, and the message,
although not verbal, was clear,
this was a programme for Zanu
PF supporters.
A report in the Herald
confirmed the partisan nature
of the programme with a
colorful piece that had the
following lines:
“On a grey and calm day, with
rains on the horizons,
thousands of Zanu PF
supporters thronged Chief
Nenyunga homestead in Gokwe
where President Mnangagwa
was launching the Pfumvudza
programme, extended to
include cotton, itself a source
of livelihood for millions across
the country,” wrote the paper’s
Political Editor.
So, while at the lower levels,
there is the use of aid as a tool
for coercion and the use of
state security agents to harass
and intimidate citizens, at the
higher level, government has all
but kitted up, ready to clip the
wings of the very important
civil society activity using the
PVO Amendment Bill, which is
being fast-tracked ahead of the
potentially bruising 2023
elections. (See Section 5)
From November 25 to
December 10, the world
commemorates 16 Days of
Activism Against Gender Based
Violence, and it is a tragedy
that women are becoming more
and more victims of rights
violations. While in October,
women made up 43 percent of
victims, the number goes up to
nearly 53 percent in November.
This is a worrying trend as
Zimbabwe draws towards
elections and history has
shown that women tend to be
on the receiving end of political
violence. Once again, it is
November all over again, and it
appears when it comes to its
human rights situation,
Zimbabwe is in a much worse
situation than ever before.
When the rights of the individual – even of a few individuals – are
suppressed, there cannot be respect for the rights of the people as a whole.
The State begins to govern against its citizens, rather than with them…”
JOSHUA NKOMO